Brianna Barry - ACC Scholar-Athlete of the Year

Taken from Seminoles.com TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Former Florida State volleyball star Brianna Barry has been named the 2009 ACC Volleyball Scholar-Athlete of the Year, Atlantic Coast Conference Commissioner John Swofford announced Tuesday. Barry, who graduated in December with a degree in Sports Management after four remarkable years as a Seminole volleyball player, was also named to the ACC All-Academic Team for the fourth year in a row. She was joined on the squad by teammate Stephanie Neville, who made the team for the first time in her career. To qualify for selection to the ACC All-Academic Team, student-athletes must have earned a 3.0 grade-point average during the fall semester and have maintained a 3.0 GPA for their careers. "First off, wow!" said Barry, who earned a 3.42 grade-point average in the fall and finished with a cumulative grade-point average of 3.5. "Being named the ACC Volleyball Scholar-Athlete of the Year is truly an amazing honor and I am very grateful and humbled to have been chosen. "I always wanted to make an impact on the court and in the classroom and I want to thank Florida State University for all the support that has been given to me the past four years." And that impact was certainly apparent. In addition to setting the academic standard for a Seminole volleyball player throughout her time in Tallahassee, Barry will go down as one of the greatest student-athletes to ever play the game for the Florida State volleyball team. The Winter Springs, Fla. native capped off an incredible career in 2009 by helping lead the Seminoles to an ACC Championship and trip to the Elite 8 for the first time in program history. For her exploits on the court, Barry was named the conference's player of the year and garnered American Volleyball Coaches Association Division I Second-Team All-America honors, among others. Barry concluded her career as the most consistent hitter in school history with a staggering .371 hitting percentage. As for Neville, FSU's rising senior became a go-to force at the outside hitter position as a junior in 2009. The Cambridge, Ontario, Canada native was third on the team in both kills (286) and blocks (77) and will step into a more prominent leadership role in 2010. "I am very proud of both Bri and Stephanie for this selection," FSU head coach Chris Poole said. "These two young ladies work very hard on and off the court. They are both great role models and have been selected among many elite student-athletes in the ACC. We certainly challenge our players to be complete students and want each of our team members to strive to make this list. "It is a great honor for everyone involved."